Week 12 is the halfway mark of the regular season, and as is usual at halfway marks, it’s time to take a look at the state of the NBL’s member clubs as we begin the Road To The Playoffs.

PERTH (13-3) – just like last season, the Wildcats started 3-3, and have reeled off a spectacular string of wins- a win against Melbourne this Saturday (and not Cairns, like I said last week) will equal a club-record streak. The win streak probably won’t continue through March, but Perth is a lock to make the playoffs. If they can stay injury-free and put a healthy Paul Rogers on the floor, they’ll be one of the most dangerous teams in the competition.

ADELAIDE (13-4) – only half a game back. The Sixers have won a stunning 11 games by 10 points or more, but their playoff position will be determined by a very tough run home, including 3 games against the Titans and 2 each against Townsville and Wollongong. Also playing a man down with the injury to David Stiff, but are still ahead of most NBL teams without him.

VICTORIA (11-3) – The Titans were able to take advantage of their lengthy home stands early in the season, but the test comes now as they spend most of the rest of the year on the road. Victoria possess the league’s second-best defence (second only to Adelaide) and a potent arsenal of scoring weapons both up front (Anstey, Wheeler) and in the backcourt (Jason Smith, D-Mac). Only 3-3 against the rest of the top 7, though.

WOLLONGONG (10-3) – The real surprise packet of the season, Wollongong have really come to play. They are no less than 5-2 against the top 7 teams and have wins against almost all of them (but not Perth). The Hawks are also 4-0 on the road, which, while impressive, also points out that there is a lot of travel in the team’s future.

TOWNSVILLE (8-5) – Playing well at home and winning the games they should, but there is some room for improvement. The Crocs have struggled against the top four, dropping 5 of 7 against them, but have a relatively easy draw on the run home. Picking up wins in their remaining games with Melbourne, Sydney and Wollongong will help their playoff position.

SYDNEY (7-6) – Wildly inconsistent, but the Kings still look like a better chance to take sixth place than Melbourne. Sydney are yet to lose at home, and still have a few games in hand there. A 2-4 record against the top four teams seems to point to a first-round playoff exit, but even that would be an improvement compared to last year’s Kings. Note that the Kings only need to finish with the same record as Melbourne- they’ve already won that season split.

MELBOURNE (7-6) – Injuries to Bradtke and Handy have slowed the Tigers’ progress, and their search for a second import continues. Through all of this, Melbourne are still above .500, and possess the league’s highest-scoring offence. The problems? The team is consistently dropping every second game, and also possess the league’s least-frightening defence. The Tigers are also only 2-6 against the rest of the top seven teams.

CANBERRA (3-11) – 0-10 against the top seven, and 0-6 on the road. Canberra’s record probably won’t improve any time soon, with games coming against Townsville (twice), Victoria (twice), and Sydney over the next few weeks. The Cannons have some talent that they need to develop and hold onto, but a playoff berth is unlikely- especially considering they have to overtake Melbourne, who have beaten them twice.

WEST SYDNEY (3-13) – On paper, there is no way this team should be 3-13 with all that talent. The Razorbacks have the league’s second-worst defence, a 2-8 road record, and 8 double-digit losses. (Probably even worse, they have 3 losses by 4 points or less.) The Razorbacks need to string some wins together to challenge for the top six, and will realistically need wins over Sydney and Melbourne in their remaining games to pull the comeback off.

BRISBANE (3-13) – Call them Team Kerle. Simon Kerle probably isn’t everyone’s favourite player, but he has recaptured some of his 1997 form and leads the team in scoring. That’s probably the only high point for the Bullets, who have had import sackings, contract disputes, and enough injuries to turn the entire team into ABA ring-ins. Oh yeah, they’ve lost 10 games by 10 or more, and are 0-10 on the road.

CAIRNS (2-13) – positive signs for the franchise off the court, with a record crowd just before the New Year and continued local television coverage. On court the story isn’t so good, and you can expect Ben Knight and Anthony Stewart to come down with back injuries from carrying the team. Injuries haven’t helped, but 2-13 is not where Guy Molloy wanted to be.

A shocking 3/7 performance last week takes me to 26/39 for the season and a nice, even 0.667 record. I tipped the wrong way in a few close games last week (Crocodiles, Bullets), and the Kings again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory… maybe they just do this to annoy me.

Cairns v Wollongong (Hawks lead series 1-0)– Wollongong are unbeaten on the road this year, and have even pulled off the Melbourne double- both the Titans and Tigers in the same weekend. On current form, the Hawks will have no trouble beating up on the hapless Taipans, even if it is in the Far North. Especially if it’s a match between the work ethic of, say, Melvin Thomas, and the work ethic of, say, Aaron Trahair. Hawks by 12.

Brisbane v Wollongong (Hawks have won series 2-0)– The Bullets are likely to go into this game undermanned, with Khari Jaxon’s future tied up in FIBA red tape and Simon Kerle awaiting a tribunal decision on Wednesday night. Either absence makes it unlikely the Bullets would get up- if both miss the game, watch the margin balloon. Hawks by 9.

Canberra v Townsville – Townsville won’t be happy after their narrow loss last week, and will look to take it out on Canberra- oddly, if you switch ‘Townsville’ and ‘Wollongong’ and wind the clock back a month, we were saying the same thing. The Crocs need this one too much to let it slip, what with the possibility of Sydney and Melbourne also winning on Saturday. Crocodiles by 14.

Sydney v Victoria (FOX) (Titans lead series 1-0)– The first game of the Fox double-header comes from the Superdome, where the Sydney Kings are so far undefeated. On paper the teams match up fairly well- the Titans probably have a little more height, but the Kings’ front line are no slackers, and in the backcourt the shoot-out between mad bombers Shane Heal and Jason Smith is probably worth the price of admission alone. I think the Titans will win, but don’t expect a massacre either way. Titans by 4.

Perth v Melbourne (FOX) (Wildcats lead series 1-0)– After business closes at the Superdome, Fox heads west for the Wildcats and Tigers. The last time these two teams met, they were both donuts- both teams’ centres had gone down to injury and didn’t suit up. This time, Mark Bradtke appears to be back for the Tigers, so Perth will need to cover for Paul Rogers’ absence while still keeping an eye on Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland. I’m picking Perth- but again, only just. Wildcats by 3.